Clippers 87, Detroit 83: Lob City Ledger

Detroit’s burly frontline rarely made anything easy, but Blake Griffin still proved to be difficult to stop with his twisting, unorthodox nature around the rim. Griffin is never going to lead a footwork clinic for big men, but his relentless banging down low wore the Pistons out and eventually resulted in a huge putback that sent the game to overtime.

Chris Paul was flawless in what he calls “winning time.” After watching the offense sputter for the majority of the game, Paul took matters into his own hands by sticking multiple pullup jumpers that Detroit had no chance of stopping. Paul’s shove of Ben Gordon to secure a critical late jump ball is the perfect example of why he’s so good late. Paul just wants it more.

DeAndre Jordan’s defensive performance is representative of the Clippers’ woes as a whole. Even when the effort is there, Jordan makes silly mistakes that can only be attributed to a lack of preparation. How many times can you let a dominant left-handed player like Greg Monroe beat you by going left? The first rule of defense is to know your personnel. Jordan rarely does.

Detroit is one of the league’s worst defensive units, but you wouldn’t know it by the way the Clippers struggled to score. The scouting report is out on this team, and coaches all over the league are finding ways to adjust and slow the Clippers down — even with inferior personnel. Paul was brilliant late yet again, but why are the Clippers even in these situations?